VARK model
The VARK model is a framework for understanding individual learning preferences, developed by New Zealand educator Neil Fleming. The acronym "VARK" represents four distinct sensory modalities: visual, aural (auditory), read/write, and kinesthetic. Each modality describes a different way individuals prefer to receive and process information. Visual learners excel with graphical representations, while aural learners thrive in auditory environments like discussions and lectures. Read/write learners prefer written information, and kinesthetic learners learn best through hands-on experiences.
Introduced in 1992, the model encourages students to identify their learning preferences and adapt their study habits accordingly. While most learners display a dominant preference, many are multimodal, exhibiting strengths across multiple modalities. This understanding can be particularly beneficial in educational settings, as it allows for tailored learning experiences that can improve academic performance. However, the VARK model also underscores that learning styles are independent of intelligence, and classroom environments should consider these differences to foster effective learning for all students.
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VARK model
The VARK model is a model of learning styles developed by New Zealand teacher and educational theorist Neil Fleming. "VARK" stands for the four different types of learning covered by the model, which Fleming referred to as "sensory modalities": visual, aural (or auditory), read/write, and kinesthetic. According to the model, different individuals may show preferences for one or more modalities. Educational theorists emphasize that learning styles are independent of intelligence, but classroom environments that do not take different learning styles into account may affect students’ academic performance in ways that cause confusion between the two.
Background
Fleming and his colleague Colleen Mills introduced the VARK model in a 1992 article in which they proposed that, as it is unrealistic to expect educators to be able to fully accommodate a range of different learning styles, students should be encouraged and given the tools to identify their own learning styles and adjust their learning behaviors accordingly. In developing a multiple-choice questionnaire to help with this identification, they expanded on the pre-existing VAK model (visual, aural, kinesthetic)—which they attributed to a 1987 article on neurolinguistic programming, though the concept dates back perhaps as far as the 1920s—by splitting the visual modality into two different modalities: visual learning, a "preference for graphical and symbolic ways of representing information," and read/write learning, "preferences for information printed as words." VARK has since become the more popular model, though it is still sometimes referred to as VAK.
Fleming and Mills’s article was based on years of observation in numerous classrooms, which they drew on to develop an assessment questionnaire that students (and others) could use to determine their modality preferences under the proposed model. After the students in the study answered the questionnaire, Fleming and Mills discussed the results with each student individually and suggested some ways in which they could modify their learning behaviors, including study skills and note-taking habits, in order to play to their strengths. Follow-up interviews revealed that students who had modified their behaviors based on the insights they gained from the questionnaire had experienced marked improvement.
Overview
The "visual" part of the VARK model refers to those who learn best when information is presented through visual symbols, such as graphs, charts, maps, and diagrams, using shapes such as arrows and circles to indicate relationships. It does not include either written text or photographic visuals (whether still images or video), only visual symbolic representations, which the brain processes differently.
The aural, or auditory, modality is a preference for learning via hearing and speaking information, as in lectures, discussion groups, and one-on-one discussions. Speaking is often just as important to these learners as listening; aural learners may need to talk things out in order to understand them, and they may repeat questions or statements that have already been addressed as part of their learning process. In later additions to the VARK model, Fleming included e-mail, texting, instant messaging, and other forms of online communication in the aural modality rather than the read/write modality, explaining that such communication tends to more closely resemble speech than formal writing.
The read/write modality is a preference for taking in new information, and subsequently conveying one’s understanding of that information, in written form. This is the modality that has traditionally been catered to and rewarded by the school system, which is often reflected in academic performance.
The kinesthetic modality is a preference for tactile learning, like the hands-on experiential learning that all children begin with. Kinesthetic learning is learning not just through touching and manipulating objects—although this is part of it—but also through personal experience. Kinesthetic learners benefit from on-the-job training, work experience, internships, simulations and role-playing, and other forms of concrete learning.
Most learners have a preference for one mode over the others. However, some are considered "multimodal," meaning they have near-equal preferences for more than one mode. Fleming has identified two types of multimodal learners. Those he describes as "VARK Type One" can switch between modes depending on context; for example, a learner of this type may normally prefer the aural modality but may switch to visual learning for math. "VARK Type Two" learners are those who require input in all of their preferred modalities. Because they take longer to take in and process information, they are often treated as slow learners or procrastinators by school systems that do not understand their underlying motivations.
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